The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 25, 2024

Standing Avalokitesvara

Standing Avalokitesvara

700s
Overall: 18.5 x 6.5 x 4.5 cm (7 5/16 x 2 9/16 x 1 3/4 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

Created during the Unified Silla period, a high point of the spread of Buddhist teachings, this kind of miniature gilt-bronze statue was often used as a portable object of devotion by traveling Buddhist monks.

Description

This small gilt-bronze statue represents the Bodhisattva of Compassion (관음보살 in Korean), an enlightened being who helps devotees on their path. It features two prominent attributes: a water sprinkler (kundika in Sanskrit) and a miniature image of Buddha Amitābha in its jeweled crown. Its sweet and gentle smile accentuates this celestial being’s immeasurable compassion for human suffering.
  • June 1, 1998
    Cleveland Museum of Art
    London Gallery, Ltd. (sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art, June 1, 1998)
    Mitsuru Tajima
  • Lee, So-young, and Denise Patry Leidy. Silla: Korea's Golden Kingdom. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2013.
    Washizuka, Hiromitsu, Youngbok Park, U-bang Kang, and Naomi Noble Richard. Transmitting the Forms of Divinity: Early Buddhist Art from Korea and Japan. New York: Japan Society, 2003.
    Gwak, Dong-seok. Hanguk ui geumdongbul [한국의 금동불] . Seoul: Dareun sesang, 2016.
    Nelson, Sarah. Gyeongju: The Capital of Golden Silla. Routledge, 2019.
    Masterpieces of Early Buddhist Sculpture [고대불교조각대전]. Seoul: National Museum of Korea, 2015.
  • Korean Gallery 236 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (July 16, 2018-January 20, 2019).
  • {{cite web|title=Standing Avalokitesvara|url=false|author=|year=700s|access-date=25 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1998.80